![]() Lord British himself, interestingly enough for a character that began as a straight author stand-in, is shown to have done a few morally questionable things himself, and he isn’t the universally and mindlessly-beloved monarch he was in previous games. ![]() Ron Hubbard or Mormonism’s Joseph Smith, and the game examines practices like specifically targeting the poor or friendless for conversion and the secular power of theological organizations.īritannia hasn’t been a paradise in the last few centuries, and while Lord British rules as best he can, some people will always just be better off than others. Religion and cults are directly dealt with: a major organization in the game worships a revered founder figure not unlike Scientology’s L. Drug use happens in Britannia (the substance of choice being the fantasy “serpent venom”), showing the deplorable behavior of addicts as well as the dependence it causes. It’s been a long time since the Gargoyle attack on Britannia in the last game, but the two societies didn’t simply mesh into a melting-pot of harmony – like the real world, the cultures tend to isolate themselves despite living in the same land, with tension between them varying. Divorce, moral absolutism, and drug abuse all come up in game quests, as does the divide between rich and poor, racism, xenophobia, and especially religious institutions. Ultima treads dirt that really no other CRPG has ever successfully covered, even such infamously dark games like The Witcher, Fallout or Planescape: Torment. While the label “adult” seems to be essentially a euphemism for “sex” in entertainment, it’s still the best way to describe the depth of the game’s plots and themes. If Ultima VI can take months to complete, Ultima VII can occupy years to pry everything out of the nooks and crannies. Towns are gigantic in size and each has its own set of local stories, subplots, gossip and quests. Unlike most CRPGs with lots of faceless NPC extras, not only is everyone in Britain unique, but for the most part they have their own houses as well and a rational amount of space for everyone. The developers of The Black Gate have packed the world to the brim with details that make Britannia seem real you can visit the bank to make a deposit (or rob the place – bad Avatar!), take a stroll through the Royal Museum to see artifacts of your past adventures, or visit kitchens and combine water and flour to bake your own bread. As for the creature calling himself the ‘Guardian’ who seems to be able to speak directly into your mind, he does not seem quite as benevolent as his paternal tone and freely-given advice suggests. Wizards are inexplicably losing their power, racial tensions between the Britannians and the Gargoyles are at a resounding high, the Moongates aren’t functioning correctly, the population feels spiritually empty for reasons nobody can explain, and study of the virtues seems to have fallen solely into the hands of an organization called the Fellowship, who adopt the poor and disenfranchised that the rest of the realm can’t seem to help. Though there are no wars being fought, no great ethical quests to solve, and seemingly only mundane problems, this is only a facade. With no sign of this strange red-faced being in sight, you quickly find yourself caught up in the hunt for clues to this strange, seemingly ritual murder, with old companion Iolo joining you. Life is peaceful and quiet for the most part, until a grisly murder in the town of Trinsic shocks the residents. Britannia has moved on without you, Avatar, and 200 years have passed in Lord British’s realm.
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